Top Law Schools

So, $120,000 is a lot to borrow, even for a top 10 law school. Deposit deadlines are in less than 1 month.

Unfortunately, I have some stuff in my past that may get me into trouble when I'm trying to get a Big Law job, given their background checks and all [See here: http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 3&t=145838]. I really need to talk to someone (not a 0L or 2L on TLS) who knows exactly what they are talking about to get some straight, detailed answers about how my past will or will not affect me before I put down all this money in loans. Any ideas?

I got dinged or WLed at every school that asked about military service, except one (Vanderbilt) where I was above both 75th percentiles. If the schools took it so seriously, what will employers think? Maybe a lot. Maybe not much. I DON'T KNOW!

Consider this a slight bump for your post

Since nearly all military personnel are discharged honorably, the fact you got discharged dishonorably is gonna hang on you for a VERY long time.

Will it preclude you from being admitted to the Bar? No, not in any State

Will employers toss your resume aside when they find out? Very likely; even more so with BigLaw

You better have a VERY stellar resume to get past it

gabbagabba wrote:Consider this a slight bump for your post

Since nearly all military personnel are discharged honorably, the fact you got discharged dishonorably is gonna hang on you for a VERY long time.

Will it preclude you from being admitted to the Bar? No, not in any State

Will employers toss your resume aside when they find out? Very likely; even more so with BigLaw

You better have a VERY stellar resume to get past it

Yeah, that's what I was afraid of. I got a General, not a Dishonorable, Discharge, but I still think it's a bigger deal than the career service's offices I have contacted seem to think. A General Discharge is NOT a criminal conviction; however, if employers request military records, they will definitely see what's going on.

Any other thoughts of who to talk to? $120,000 in loans for T14 sounds like an unacceptable risk if employers really are going to look at this stuff.

Though Biglaw may do a background check, not all employers will check - if you're willing to do something other than Biglaw, you should be ok

gabbagabba wrote:Though Biglaw may do a background check, not all employers will check - if you're willing to do something other than Biglaw, you should be ok

Will regional employers in a state like Texas be more or less likely to check than NLJ 250 firms in a place like New York?

IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU NEED TO TALK TO A LAWYER.